Messages - fallot

The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. People can be poor because the live in a shitty system, they can also be poor because they are fucked up and continue to make bad choices. It is never all one or the other.

This view is not conducive to casual indictment or statements of ideology.

We'll talk about the poor. Then we'll talk about "the poor" (substituting monetary wealth for "spiritual" or "intellectual" wealth). Then we're right back at square one.

"I survived for a few months, alone, on minimum wage, therefore the poor are weak."

"Anti-elitist" is strange to hear. I would think the quality of empathy, of desiring better for your fellow man, would be a heroic quality. Can anyone read this thread and think "elite"? It's not about some great liberal equalizer but... fuck the poor? No, fuck you.

My aim in attacking your statement was to try to route a convenient mistake you seem close to making; that is to operate from a merit-based view of humanity, and then to assume that current institutions, because they appear to be merit based actually are.

Not designed to? Okay. In any case, it's the truth that the western poor feed on these more out of necessity than desire or apathy. The point is not at all that McDonalds is good, rather that the nuance of choice in these nations does not exist for everyone. Even on a McDonalds menu, what can you possibly pick that is efficient in terms of your energy requirement? Too little will not suffice. The poor of other nations are not in similar straits because they literally starve. The jab at nature was not a rejection of the truth that exists there, but a rejection of it as absolute truth.

I cannot look at those in a worse state than me and think "they just didn't try hard enough". Who truly desires a life of destitute complacency? This is a view which I have seen only in those of youth and privilege; and American poor people for some reason. It is not easy, nor does it sound very noble to admit that your own successes may be a result of circumstance. How can I desire anything but to even out some of the worst injustices? Even in this thread, half-agreements abound... how can you point out circumstance on one hand and then agree with the point? Is it only circumstance in your anecdotes? If some are worthy, what then? Their lot is as the poor fools?

Evolution is not a benevolent positive force, we do not evolve towards what is "good", merely towards what suits continued existence in the environment. Embracing the "natural" is about as much a lie as blindly embracing any other system or ideology. With our intellect we transcend, at least partially, the bounds of our own evolution. It's so easy to speak in pseudo-scientific babble about what is healthy and what isn't; as has been demonstrated at least once, it is perfectly possible to have a healthy diet only eating McDonalds. And yet how can you blame those that subsist on energy dense trash because that's all they have? The answer is to hate/pity these people because they "can't stand on their own two feet"?

On a personal/offtopic note; I have been led here by Metal, by the DLA, by the only place and group of people that seem to appreciate Metal as art on the internet that I have been able to find. While there is a kernel of truth in everything, conclusions are reached which I cannot agree with. The overall picture is negative and distasteful. It doesn't make a statement, it doesn't do anything, it sits there and shooes away those that would embrace at least this art. Is this what is desired? Why do you preach to those whose eyes are open? I don't mean to snipe from the sidelines at whatever this website has achieved, but over the years of reading it (for the metal) and trying to introduce people to it, this has been a constant frustration. If there is an alternative that I've been missing, perhaps I could be pointed to that.

"this album was included in the archives to represent the decline of black metal into an aesthetic copy of itself with waning impetus from the genre's originators. I think that NM does this well, and should be included in the archives."

It seems the gentleman can indeed see through the fake. I don't see why the album cannot be enjoyed for the cheap thrills it does have. The review is also enlightening, as are the reviews of Marduk and other gimmick bands.

This is really some amazingly pointless semantics, yes drinking water regularly does not give you a quality that would prevent you from becoming dehydrated in a situation where you subsequently lacked water... but seriously. But yes, bottled water is a curse that should be shunned everywhere tap water is safe enough to drink.

It seems to be a very deliberate cover. Into the Autumn Shade doesn't have the unique voice No Longer Silent does, but a point could be made for it being the better release. Perhaps stylistically it is not exactly what is desired.

There is no doubt that women are adapted to the things Schopenhauer mentions, but he is a victim of his time in ascribing to them inferior mental capabilities as a rule. The truth is not limited to a sex (or to statistics). There was a random post on this forum from (ostensibly) some middle aged female who spoke about how the DLA had affected her life. The virility and power in this music is something I once thought women may not be able to appreciate. No more.

Averse Sefira DEMANDS full attention when you listen to them. Anything less and you lose the picture of what they're trying to do.

While I agree with this, the reward for that attention isn't anything spectacular or fulfilling. There's only so much you want to listen to before it starts to grate. There are a few enduring melodies here and there (especially Homecoming's March, which is the album I keep coming back to), but overall it just seems to want to beat you to death with its own awesomeness. It is good stuff, but will never be entirely convincing for me.

I never really hear too many people talk about later Morpheus Descends, but it is uniformly good stuff. Check it out here, but I would really recommend just downloading the FLACs of their later stuff from Audiophile, as MP3 compression tends to ruin the sound of this kind of atmospheric death metal.

The impression I had from the DLA review was that it was strong nuclear material for a particular sound. A good work, important historically but non-essential. That contributed to me never really exploring them, but if you consider their further output to be of merit I suppose I should change that. Thank you for this post.

Ceremonium's No Longer Silent really can be considered an evolution of Soulside Journey in a way. A wonderful work that to me was a legitimately exciting new direction for death/black metal. In a way I guess Soulside Journey really was a product of its time that was never perpetuated by others, perhaps due to the burgeoning black metal scene. However, No Longer Silent most certainly draws on (and imo streamlines) a lot from it. Go for it if you haven't aquarius

Another band in a similar vein that I wouldn't consider a progression from Soulside Journey but certainly similar is Maleficarum. The album reviewed is a powerful piece of brooding, flowing death metal with melodic sensibilities that may be similarly enjoyed.

Another biological addendum; a portion of that "psychological" gain is undoubtedly due to the release of endorphins (some of which are basically opioids, the Morphine of the brain) and stress-coping hormones like Cortisol. These provide actual pleasure and an impetus to continue. Somewhat similar to "adrenaline junkies" and veteran soldiers. Therefore, the character building part I would say is a matter of the right perspective and mindset. Many people who work hard on their body are essentially weak, flaky men. The benefit exists, but must be realized and appreciated to be effective in my opinion.

That is one probable element of a process that likely involves both damage (but on a microscopic scale) and build-up of metabolic by-products. Immediate soreness that stops you from continuing further temporarily, such as at the end of a set, is entirely due to that build-up. Again, your point holds regardless.